Data center administrators strive for automation, including during system provisioning, because there are hundreds, if not thousands, of machines in use. Some machines are physical, e.g., blades, while others are virtualized using VMWare, Virtual Server, etc. The sheer number of machines prohibits individual installations of machines into the system. Instead, standardized templates are instantiated on machines to be installed, the templates usually pre-loaded with applications. However, use of templates creates a security problem because any attack that is successful against one machine will succeed for every machine that used the template. Additionally, once any machine is compromised, the entire system is at risk.